The Government Needs To Pay More Attention To Waste Management

JAKARTA - The DPR has voiced the importance of maintaining environmental sustainability, including waste management which is currently still a big homework (PR) for Indonesia. The government considers the encouragement from the DPR to immediately respond to it.

"Recent attention from the Indonesian House of Representatives is quite interesting related to the future of our environment, especially in waste management which is still a classic problem in Indonesia," said Public and Environmental Health Expert, Dr Hermawan Saputra, Wednesday, November 1.

The waste crisis that occurred in Indonesia has drawn attention from the DPR. Starting from the problem of lacking capacity in Waste Disposal Sites (TPS) and Final Disposal Sites (TPA), to the rampant fires at TPS and TPA that threaten public health.

Hermawan said the large population of Indonesia had an impact on waste problems. The waste management system should be one of the priority for the survival of the community.

"How is the population of more than 278 million, maybe in the next 5-10 years there will be more than 300 million people, that means environmental resources are increasingly disrupted. Green open areas are getting narrower, more difficult for land and housing needs. So the consequences are that many people cause garbage to accumulate more and more," he explained.

Therefore, the attention of the DPR regarding waste issues is considered appropriate. Commission IV of the DPR RI has repeatedly stated that there are serious problems in the waste processing process in Indonesia where the waste management model based on collecting, transporting and throwing away is considered no longer applicable.

"By being appointed by commission IV in the DPR, this is something that investigates how much waste management really has to be a concern," said Hermawan.

Commission IV of the DPR in charge of environmental affairs encourages the Government to implement decentralized waste management whose rules are contained in Law No. 18 of 2008. Waste management decentralizes to apply the principles of reducing, recycling and reusing or 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle).

In addition, Commission IV of the DPR encourages the Government to focus more on integrated waste management facilities which include recycling, compost, and processing of hazardous waste. Hermawan agrees with Commission IV of the DPR which asks the Government to increase its waste processing model to be used as organic fertilizer for agriculture.

This waste processing itself has a lot of technology that allows it to be processed. There is waste that can be reduced, such as plastic waste, but there is organic waste that can be used as fertilizer," said the Expert Council of the Indonesian Community Health Experts Association (IAKMI).

"Therefore, the Government must be serious and in line with what was conveyed by the DPR, especially from Commission IV, in order to reactivate technology as well as implement waste management efforts, including by minimizing residues that have the potential to disturb and pollute the environment," added Hermawan.

The issue of waste in Indonesia has also caught the attention of the Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani. Highlighting the many obstacles in waste management, Puan asked the government to increase the green' policy program to overcome the waste crisis in Indonesia.

Puan assessed that strict regulations and socialization of waste sorting from the smallest environment, namely in households, can help overcome waste problems. The government is also asked to consistently provide education to the public so that waste sorting policies can be effective.

Regarding Puan's appeal, Hermawan said that the problem of waste management must indeed grow from public awareness itself. Moreover, waste management is considered an entry point to achieve sustainable development targets or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) because this is a multi-sector issue that has an impact on various aspects in society and the economy.

In terms of behavioral education, this can be approached by a public health approach and of course related to environmental awareness. But the most important thing is that this must be followed up by the Government because waste management is related to many sectors of life," explained Hermawan. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), waste management has links to health issues, climate change, poverty reduction, food security and resources, as well as sustainable production and consumption. Hermawan highlighted how public attitudes and culture are one of the factors that affect the sustainable waste management system.

"Of course, we can't solve the waste, it's just a matter of burning. Burning garbage is a new problem because in addition to environmental risks, burned waste also causes new problems, so there must be recycling for the sake of a better environment," he explained.

For this reason, Hermawan agreed with the DPR asking the Government to intensify socialization and education to the public about waste management. Moreover, the younger generation today really cares about environmental issues, including the problem of waste that threatens the earth.